The 10 must-read books of August, according to Amazon's editors

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The 10 must-read books of August, according to Amazon's editors

Best Books Of August 4x3

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I've recently vowed to limit the time I spent looking at my phone before bed and fill that time reading more books. I began by consuming the entire "Harry Potter" series for the first time, then switched to Pete Dexter's classic, "Deadwood." After that I hit a wall, unsure what book to pick up next.

If you're like me and you prefer a physical book to a Kindle, it can be a surprisingly expensive extracurricular activity. To help make sure that the next book you buy is worth it, Amazon's editors choose a selection of 10 noteworthy titles in their Best Books of the Month section (most of which you can also get for the Kindle, if you prefer).

Check out this month's list of books, which include nonfiction exposés, crime-thrillers, and poignant examinations of modern culture.

Captions have been provided by Erin Kodicek, editor of books and Kindle at Amazon.

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

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"The Outlaw Ocean" by Ian Urbina

"The Outlaw Ocean" by Ian Urbina
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Three-fifths of the planet is covered by water, and that's where the illicit action is. "The Outlaw Ocean" is a catalog of just about any contemptible human activity that you could imagine, and impossible to put down.

"The Beekeeper of Aleppo" by Christy Lefteri

"The Beekeeper of Aleppo" by Christy Lefteri
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Nuri, a humble beekeeper, and Afra, an artist, must flee the violence in Syria for an unknown future in Britain in a moving novel by Christy Lefteri that puts a human face on a faraway conflict.

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"The Turn of the Key" by Ruth Ware

"The Turn of the Key" by Ruth Ware
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From the author dubbed "the Agatha Christie of our time," a menacing gothic thriller set in a "smart home" in the Scottish Highlands, where a nanny discovers that a dream gig is too good to be true.

"The Whisper Man" by Alex North

"The Whisper Man" by Alex North
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A boy is kidnapped and murdered in a manner that matches the modus operandi of a serial killer currently serving time. Alex North's deliciously dark thriller, "The Whisper Man," has an ending you won't expect.

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"How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi

"How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi
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Blending ethics, history, law, and science, National Book Award-winning author Ibram Kendi's "How to Be an Antiracist" challenges the reader to take tangible steps towards creating a more equitable society.

"Things You Save in a Fire" by Katherine Center

"Things You Save in a Fire" by Katherine Center
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Cassie Hanwell's transition from a Texas firehouse to a Boston-area one — near her ailing mother — is not a smooth one. But a certain rookie just might turn her fortunes around in Katherine Center's heartfelt new novel.

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"Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead"

"Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead"
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In this deeply strange literary murder mystery from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of "Flights," an eccentric woman from a remote Polish village inserts herself into the investigation of a series of suspicious killings.

"gods with a little g" by Tupelo Hassman

"gods with a little g" by Tupelo Hassman
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In this deliciously irreverent coming-of-age tale, Helen Dedleder and her misfit friends must navigate life in a deeply religious town (aptly-named Rosary, California).

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"The Ghosts of Eden Park" by Karen Abbott

"The Ghosts of Eden Park" by Karen Abbott
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"The Ghosts of Eden Park" is the stranger-than-fiction true crime tale of the "King of the Bootleggers," a fascinating Gatsby-esque figure from the early days of Prohibition whose wife ends up in his deadly crosshairs.

"Chances Are..." by Richard Russo

"Chances Are..." by Richard Russo
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Mining the complexities of friendship, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Empire Falls" returns with an enthralling story about three men who reunite on Martha's Vineyard, and the mysterious disappearance from years prior that still haunts them.

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